When calling high and you’re uncomfortable as to when to use your target’s first name versus last name, here’s a tip that might help you. First of all, remember back to my May 21st, 2008 Blog where I recommended that we use our target’s first name whenever possible. I still believe that. However, if you’re still uncomfortable with those special situations where you’re calling higher than you usually do (or the person you’re calling is much older than you are) and you just don’t know what to do, here’s a tip. The higher we call within an organization, the more likely we’ll hit a gatekeeper instead of voicemail. But even when we do encounter voicemail, it is probably been recorded by the gatekeeper and not the individual we’re calling. Take a hint from the gatekeeper, whether live, or on the outgoing voicemail message. If he or she refers to Barry Caponi as Mr. Caponi, then take the hint and refer to him as Mr. Caponi. It’s as simple as that!